Unfortunately, the streak is over as the New York Jets fell to the New England Patriots by a score of 22-17.
As always, back again are our expert writers Paul ‘Boy Green’ Esden Jr and Michael Obermuller to discuss all the hot topics in Jets land after the game. This week will touch on Zach Wilson and the quarterback conundrum, storylines from the Week 8 loss, the NFL trade deadline, and a look ahead to Week 9 against the Buffalo Bills.
Most recent mailbags:
- Week 62: Steelers Week overreactions, unsung heroes & Week 5 predictions.
- Week 63: Playoff hype vs fool’s gold, contract extensions & Week 6 predictions.
- Week 64: Elijah Moore’s disappearance, Bryce Hall trade rumors & Week 7 predictions.
- Week 65: Replacing Breece Hall, Elijah Moore’s request & Week 8 predictions.
Week 8 Storylines After Loss to Patriots
1. There were a few calls that changed the game against the Patriots — especially the John Franklin-Myers roughing penalty. What did you think of the officiating in this game?
Boy Green:
Oh, it was awful. That call, in particular, will be called nine out of 10 times in the current NFL. Franklin-Myers didn’t have to hit him, but hit him anyway. It didn’t affect the throw or decision that Mac Jones had made/committed to. The difference between a 17-3 lead at the half versus 10-6.
#Jets HC Robert Saleh asked for an explanation from refs on costly John Franklin-Myers (@J_FranklinMyers) roughing the passer call that negated a pick-6 they said #Patriots QB Mac Jones (@MacJones_10) ‘was hit too hard’ 🧐: 🎥 @nyjets #TakeFlight What the heck @NFLOfficiating?!
The second time New England went for it, it was clear offensive pass interference but the officials kept the flag in the pocket. Of course, the Jets wouldn’t have been in that position with the JFM penalty if Zach Wilson didn’t get lazy on that first interception. It completely swung the game and cost the team.
Obermuller:
Yeah, this is a bit of a softball question to start things out. 100%, the referees did the Jets zero favors in this one.
Watching the game at the stadium, there were at least four or five flags — or lack thereof — and incorrect calls in my opinion. Having said that, the Jets did plenty to lose this game whether you want to blame Wilson or JFM or whoever.
I wasn’t crazy about the coaching game plan on offense either and at the end of the day, it feels like every team deals with bad officiating nowadays. It cannot be the major excuse but it also wasn’t very helpful toward the problems.
2. Obviously, it was a tough outing for Zach Wilson and his stock appeared to plummet within the fanbase after the loss. Have you seen enough to make a determination on Wilson as a long-term answer at quarterback?
BG:
Absolutely not. I think multiple things can be true: Wilson freaking stunk on those three interceptions and it cost his team dearly. However, that was the first time his mistakes cost the team this year.
How over-reactionary would it be to replace Wilson after this one poor outing, especially considering how well he played earlier? Obviously, ZW needs to clean that up but he is an uber-talented guy and I believe in him as a player. We’ll see if that comes back to haunt me later.
MO:
I’ve always stood by Wilson but I will admit, the more he plays games like this, the tougher it is to defend him after seeing prospects like Sam Darnold and Geno Smith fail to figure things out in New York.
Wilson has shown us the flashes and he’s even played “boring” football at times but what he’s yet to prove is consistency. Personally, I’m not ready to give up on him based on this Patriots outing but he must show more signs of improvement over the second half of the year.
Agree with Paul, have not seen enough yet to make a final determination.
3. There were a lot of bizarre storylines after this game like Mike White’s promotion to QB2, Chris Streveler and Jermaine Johnson being inactive, or Elijah Moore registering 10 snaps amid the trade request drama. What surprised you most and why?
BG:
So many juicy ways to go. I’d say the Mike White promotion was freaking weird and fed into the Chris Streveler elevation.
My first thought when I saw all that was veteran QB Joe Flacco is getting traded. How else could you explain the timing? Either Flacco was going to be moved over the weekend and it fell through or he is a part of current trade talks.
That would be the only reason to call Strev up to only see him ruled inactive. I think we are going to get a weird QB trade ahead of the deadline, that’s my prediction.
MO:
The QB room is certainly an odd place to be right now but Moore’s usage was really baffling to me. If you’re disciplining a player, why not bench him entirely?
Instead, the Jets wasted an active roster spot on the wide receiver only to give him fewer snaps than Jeff Smith. What is the purpose of that?
This Moore situation is very concerning and frustrating to watch right now and assuming he doesn’t get traded, it’s hard to figure where the Jets go from here. At the moment, they are wasting one of their most dynamic offensive weapons while acting like there’s nothing wrong during press conferences.
Jets at the Trade Deadline, Week 9 vs Bills
4. Do the Jets make any more moves before the trade deadline tomorrow whether at quarterback or anywhere else? What would you do if you were Joe Douglas over the next 24 hours?
BG:
At QB? I’d probably stand pat with everything you have outside of shipping Flacco off for whatever you can get. I’d rather see Streveler on the active 53-man roster over that old bag of bones.
I would make an aggressive move for a quality right tackle considering the uncertainty around George Fant and Max Mitchell’s immediate futures.
The Bradley Chubb stuff is juicy and somewhat strange but damn it, I’m a sucker for blockbuster moves and speculation so give me all the pass rushers baby!
MO:
I’m not trading for any quarterbacks — 2022 should be Wilson’s year to either prove himself or fail, one way or the other. If the Jets were able to unload Flacco, sure why not?
Aside from that, I’m not sure I’d make any ridiculous moves at the deadline. The Jets might end up being a playoff team this season but I don’t think they are a real Super Bowl contender.
Based on that, I’d keep my draft picks and continue on the 2023 trajectory. I’m definitely not trading for another edge rusher with 10-plus D-linemen on the roster and I’d keep youngsters like Denzel Mims, Moore, and Bryce Hall for now.
5. As always, predict the result and scoreline for the Jets’ Week 9 matchup against the Buffalo Bills. On the season, Mike Obermuller is 6-2 predicting Jets results while Boy Green is 5-3.
BG:
It is no coincidence that my record at 5-3 matches the Jets this season. I’ve picked them every week and I’ve seen Michael share his commentary on that fun fact. However, now it’s time to get real — up next, the Jets welcome in the “Super Bowl champion” Buffalo Bills.
Gang Green opened as a 12.5-point dog and the early money is flying to the Bills. The Jets are coming off of a loss that a lot of people inside that organization believe they should have had. Sometimes you have to stop being a fan and be real about a prediction. So with that being said, I’m absolutely picking the Jets in this freaking game.
Buffalo, at 6-1, is going to overlook the lowly Jets and this is a spunky Gang Green team that is looking to put another pelt on the wall. They did it last year with Cincinnati and Tennesse and I think they do it again with the Bills. The Jets want to get that bad taste out of their mouth and they do it in a game where no one is giving them a chance.
I’ll take the Jets winning 25-24 for the biggest upset of the season!
MO:
I gotta admit, he really had me going there for a second. As always, I love the enthusiasm from Paul but I’ve also seen this Bills pass rush terrorize much better quarterbacks behind much better offensive lines.
The injuries are finally catching up to the Jets upfront and the Alijah Vera-Tucker absence hurt most of all in Week 8. This blocking unit has displayed a lack of cohesion and talent right now and it’s not going to get any better against Von Miller and Gregory Rousseau.
Another ugly game is coming for this Jets offense as the franchise suffers its first blowout defeat since the Cincy game. Buffalo wins 31-13.
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Jets Analyst Predicts ‘Weird QB Trade’ & Unlikely Upset